Olive Garden Chicken Pasta

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This Olive Garden Chicken Pasta is a creamy and delightful weeknight meal made in the crockpot! With a small list of ingredients, this recipe is super simple to throw together and cook. Simply shred the chicken, toss with pasta and serve. While I do think the original recipe floating around the internet is totally overkill (read: fat on fat on fat), this is a much tastier, lightened up version that you can feel a little better about feeding your family.

Four Main Ingredients

Crockpot recipes are fabulous and the small list of ingredients is usually one of the reasons why I love them so much. Throw everything in and let her rip. Here are the basics of what you’ll need:

• chicken breasts
• light olive garden salad dressing
• cream cheese
• Italian Seasoning

Chicken is cooked in this creamy, Italian-flavored sauce, then shredded and tossed with cooked pasta, parmesan cheese and fat free half and half. Yes, I did cut the calories by 2/3rds!! And yes, it still tastes fabulous! You’re welcome.

Of course you can use the full fat original olive garden salad dressing. But just know that it will increase the calorie and fat gram count on the nutrition.

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How to Make Olive Garden Chicken Pasta

This isn’t a copycat recipe taken directly from the Olive Garden Archives. Oh, no dear reader, this is simply just a recipe using a whole lot of olive garden salad dressing to flavor a chicken and pasta crockpot dish.

Cook Chicken In Crockpot

In the bottom of a cold crockpot, add salad dressing, chicken, cream cheese and Italian seasoning. Cover and cook 3-4 hours on high.

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Shred Chicken & Toss with Pasta

Turn crockpot to warm, shred chicken and stir to melt cream cheese completely into sauce. Toss with parmesan cheese, half & half and cooked pasta. Divide into portions and serve warm.

Saving Leftovers

If you happen to have any leftover pasta, it stores really well in the fridge for up to 4 days as long as it is in air tight containers. Because it’s a creamy pasta sauce, it won’t reheat as ‘saucy’ unless you add in a splash of water to loosen it up. After you microwave it, stir that water in well to create that creamy sauce and it’s as good as new.

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What to Serve with Olive Garden Chicken Pasta

Here are some classic side dishes that go well with any Italian meal, regardless of what you’re making!

• Homemade Garlic Bread (ok, this stuff is the bomb)
• Caprese Salad
• Strawberry Salad
• Cucumber Tomato Salad

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Other Crockpot Recipes You Will Love

The slow cooker has been a fabulous go-to kitchen appliance for years for good reason! It never gets old and it produces delicious results. Here are a few reader favorite recipes:

• Honey Mustard Chicken
• Crockpot Sloppy Joes
• Crockpot Ribs
• Slow Cooker Tri Tips and Gravy
• Favorite Pulled Pork

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this easy and delicious pasta recipe as much as me and my husband did. It’s a good one you will want to save and make again and again.